Awards

2008

Minivans are much like the late, great Rodney Dangerfield: They get no respect. Commercials make fun of them and crossover buyers shun them. View this photo gallery of minivan goodness below this post. Automotive News writer, John Teahen, Jr. recently had this to say about minivans, "Minivans had...Read More»

Way back in the 1990's, Honda debuted a minivan in the U.S. that turned out to be 10 years too early in release. Honda's first-gen Odyssey van was a friendly, six seat runabout that was more than willing to serve the needs of families from 3 to 6 members. The four cylinder Accord engine was...Read More»

Volkswagen late last week issued a service program covering several Volkswagen and Audi models equipped with Direct Shift Gearboxes (DSG). In a release, Volkswagen Group of America reported that some owners of vehicles with the DSG transmission have reported “performance issues, due to a faulty...Read More»

Chrysler Sebring Convertible While picking on a Chrysler product is kind of like kicking a dog when it is on the ground, this convertible really should come with a warning label buying this ragtop can seriously damage your financial health. While two-thirds of new Chrysler products have been named...Read More»

The Honda Element provides welcoming ingress/egress dimensions. Ingress/egress, also known as Sliding Entry, involves simulating an occupants movements while entering (ingress) and exiting (egress) a vehicle. Seat cushion height (ground to seat) is an important factor. Additionally, the greater...Read More»

It appears that the cash for clunkers program is a big hit with new car buyers and dealerships are finally seeing an uptick in showroom traffic. For most consumers this will end up being a very good thing because most new cars are incredibly reliable and fuel efficient. But that is not true of...Read More»

With 588,952 sales in 2007, the Ford F-Series was the top selling pickup truck for 2007. This is no surprise to those in the know the F-Series has been Americas best-selling vehicle for the past 30 years. It beat out the popular Chevy truck, currently at number two, for the number one spot on the...Read More»

Many histories of Jaguar have been written, and no doubt there will be many more. In most of them, the sad saga of the Jaguar X-Type sedan is likely to be covered as a misguided diversion--if it's spoken of at all. While the smallest Jaguar sedan was pulled from the US market after the 2008 model...Read More»

When we hear "Subaru", we're more likely to think of world rallies than world records. But last Saturday, Subaru of America set a new Guinness World Record for the largest parade of Subaru cars in the world: 339 of them, to be precise. The Guinness organization even sent an official adjudicator...Read More»

Yep, the economy's in the toilet and headed further south--where that final destination is, we can only guess. (Tierra del Fuego? Tampa?) Everyone's getting desperate--here at TCC we're stopping all deliveries of Costco cheese crackers --but car dealers are the worst off, so far as we can tell...Read More»

As we prepare to drive the 2010 Ford Taurus today (our first road test review is coming next week), it's important to have a frame of reference. A good comparison for the all-new 2010 Ford Taurus is the outgoing model. formerly known as the Five Hundred. Pitting these two sedans against one another...Read More»

I hate to admit that until last week, I had never driven a Toyota FJ Cruiser. The very capable off-roader with the funky look was introduced way back in 2006 as a 2007 model ... so I'm way behind the curve on this one. Perhaps the time gives me some added distance to judge this ready-for-anything...Read More»

Production of both the Camry Solara Coupe and Convertible was brought to a halt last year but while sales of the hard-top have already ceased you can still buy the convertible model, but not for too long according to comments from a Toyota rep. Due to poor sales in the midsize convertible...Read More»

As we reported last month (Down The Snake Hole), Chrysler hasn't had an easy time finding a buyer for their Viper brand. That stuck me as kind of odd, because everybody in the auto nation knows that every true enthusiasts and rich guy, sooner or later, dreams about having their own car company. Now...Read More»

Not long ago, we told you about the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport. Now, we can tell you something about what the new package will cost ... about $4,000 more than base Corvette. After a quick call to General Motors PR to confirm the official pricing for the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette coupe and...Read More»

As Cathy Dodson became a new mom, her hunt for a family vehicle began with a search for a third-row seat and room for cargo. And this first-grade teacher wasn't going to settle on the first minivan that crossed her path. The 2008 Nissan Pathfinder passed muster. Dodson teaches at Stone Academy in...Read More»

Clearly, this is not GM's week. Yesterday, everyone was talking about the company's nearly inevitable "surgical bankruptcy". Today, everyone's talking about a mechanical problem that could start engine fires in about 1.5 million GM sedans. At fault is a leak that could allow oil to drip onto the...Read More»

If any minivan could get me to think about driving one again, it's the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country. Chrysler's minivans seem to have a rollercoaster history, starting with being the savior of Chrysler in the '80s, then sinking into the despair of dismal quality ratings. It looks like the...Read More»

Honda and Volkswsagen are two notable auto manufacturers with far-flung markets that are helping them weather - and thrive despite - the tough sales downturn. Honda's sales in China, up 11.7 percent for 2008 due to strong sales of its Accord and CR-V, actually helped it post record high global...Read More»